


HAUNTING WORDS.

by slyther_sins



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Completed, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-07-04 10:36:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15839493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slyther_sins/pseuds/slyther_sins
Summary: ❝I'll tell you how risky life is. You are not going to get out alive.❞





	HAUNTING WORDS.

**Author's Note:**

> [ written for sixth month, one shot-comp for underdoggos - over on wattpad  
> -2551 words.  
> \- things have been slightly changed.  
> -contains bits of cursing  
> \- may contain broken writing/ grammar mistakes / typos  
> -but i overall hope you enjoy.
> 
> \-- teia.]

_**❝I'll tell you how risky life is. You are not going to get out alive.❞  
** _

_**________** _

━━━ **FROM THE DAY REGULUS TOOK ON THE DARK LORD'S MARK** ━ **FROM THE MOMENT HE LET IT THE BLACK SNAKE AND SKULL BURN AND SEAR INTO THE PALE SKIN OF HIS FOREARM** ━ **THINGS HAD CHANGED FOR HIM.** Not with parents, of course--they adored the youngest member of the Black family just the same, if not, more than they'd already had.

But it was with his older brother, Sirius Black.

Growing up, they had been close - they'd really had.

But things had changed over the course of the years.

Their brotherly bond had already been strained from the moment they had different Sortings at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - the place where Sirius had been given the House of Gryffindor, whereas Regulus was given Slytherin. All members of the Black family had been placed in Slytherin, so when bold and reckless little Sirius had become one of the Lion House, that resulted in ultimate disgust and shame from his parents ( And this is only partially the reason why Regulus' house sorting made him their favorite out of the two.)

And once Regulus stepped forward between the crowd of Death Eaters, and had held out his forearm to allowed himself to be marked by the Dark Lord; things had almost been completely damaged between the two brothers.

Had it not been for the sharing of the same home, and the same attending of their school, they'd have probably never talked to, or seen, one another again.

But eventually, it'd gotten to the point where Sirius could not take it any longer.

He'd caught him in the turn of the hall on late evening, holding him still by reaching out and grabbing his clothed wrist, "Don't you know what you've just done, Regulus? Do you?!" He questioned, his expression a mix of anger and his refusal to believe the news.

But his younger brother did gave little to no reaction to his expression, moreover upset for approaching him in such a manner.

Regulus tore his arm away, fully intent on keeping his composure. He began to fix his sleeve, his voice calm," I'm quite aware of what I've done, dear brother. And so are our parents, and if they approve," He smiled, shrugging, "Then why not?"

" _They_  don't even have the Dark Mark, you idiot! " Sirius screamed with a throwing up of his hands, "They're just supporters. But you! Oh, you had to take it a level higher and be marked! Marked for life!"

Regulus rolled his eyes at his words, trying his best to end this conversation as quickly as he could, "Mother and Father are simply far too busy to include themselves in such things, and you know this. So is it such a bad thing by doing our family a favor, and taking it upon myself to let the Dark Lord know we're on his side?"

"School, have you forgotten about school?" Sirius questioned back, wanting to get his brother to see just how badly he'd went wrong with his decision, " A-and your future life, have you forgotten about that too?" He met his eye, his voice lowering as a variation of his pleading; inching towards him closer, "A wife, some kids? To continue the line of our family that you're oh-so-proud of? Did you not think of any of that?"

"Sirius," He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with a hand sitting loosely on his hip, "I am  _sixteen_. I am far too _young_  to both be doing or thinking about any of that. When I am older, and out of school, I shall see." He lifted his head, giving him a fair glance as he began to walk off, "But for  _now,_ my focus and loyalness lies within the Dark Lord."

Sirius sighed loudly, realizing there was nothing more he could say to convince him. "You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into, Regulus.." He muttered, staring at him with full disbelief now, "Such an idiot--Merlin!" He punched the nearly, wall and retrieved his hand quickly. He muttered profanity as he clutched his injured hand by his side before leaving - not wanting to get scolded by his parents again.

And Regulus would scoff in the posh manner he'd been taught in, and turn his back as he busied himself with something else to distract him from both his brother, and the underline warning his brain kept screaming at him. _'_

But one day, it grew out of control.

 _" You're just jealous, Sirius. And your words are_ not  _scaring me.'"_ Regulus informed him as he stood with his fists balled at his side, growing angrier and more frustrated at his older brother's now daily reminders of the 'stupid' decision of his.  _"And perhaps..it's your inability,"_ He choked out, unable to believe the words coming from his own mouth,  _"To mature up in situations such as this, is exactly why you were not fit or capable to take on the position I now have, as a Death Eater."_

Regulus stared directly into his eyes as he went on to say the next words,

"Perhaps that's why mum and dad favor me more than they do of you."

Sirius stopped in his tracks, slowly turning around, "Don't you dare go there with me, Regulus. " He shook his head, never breaking eye contact as his voice hardened, "Don't you  _dare._ "

"Oh, why not? Going to tell mum and dad on me, are you?" Regulus mocked, his regret slowly turning over into anger.

"Oh, _you_  sit here and try to have a conversation with your dad without him yanking you out the room, or a conversation with your mum without her yelling over you every five seconds! You try and see how that feels!" Sirius paused, beginning a laugh that eventually became a hysteric one,

"Oh right! You never have to feel that way because you're their favorite! They adore everything you do and say and you are just the perfect child, aren't you, Regulus?" He spat bitterly, long from being done, "I mean, you already had them wrapped around your itsy-bitsy baby finger from the moment you were born, why did you go on to make a choice such as idiotic as this? Was this a choice of your own? O-or did you feel like you had to outshine me so much, that I would be completely erased out of the family picture?"

Tears began to roll down his eyes, "You have completely succeeded in that."

"It's not like it mattered anyway." Regulus burst out just as his brother began to walk off, "You're off with that little group of yours all the time, the Marauders, you call yourself. Always spending time with them than you are with  _me_! With us!" He could feel the tears burning his eyes at this point, "Consider them more of a family than you do of us, and would willingly die in any of their places. You have refugee him them, and they in you, so I don't see why this even matters to you!"

"Just because I don't have your same viewings, and outlooks, doesn't mean your constant criticizing, and shunning doesn't affect me! You all act like the things you say don't hurt, that they couldn't. And every time that happens, I sit there and hope that you're all just thinking this is an example of tough love, and that you all don't mean what you say." The tears fell down from Sirius' face, and his voice cracked before his eyes closed, and he broke down crying completely, "But I know it's not true." He sniffled, the back of his hand coming to wipe the tears from his own cheeks as he continued to sob towards the carpeted ground, "I know it's not."

He took another deep breath before continuing, "And you! Being a dumbass, and risking your life for a man of dark magic who couldn't give two flying _fucks_ if you were to get killed in battle! Now how pathetic is that?"

"Oh, shut up!" Regulus snapped, his voice rising,"You don't know was risk is. You call yourself a rebel, but you can't even risk telling your true thoughts to mum and dad. You talk about all of this all time but what have you really done to know the true meaning of it?"

Sirius stepped forward and leaned down into his face,  _"I'll tell you how risky life is."_ His finger jabbed deeply into his brother's chest, and he gave a harsh glare, but if you were to look closely enough, you could see the tears glowing his the rims of his eyes and if you were to listen to him closely enough, you could hear the fear and pain underlying his voice as he croaked out,  _"Y_ _ou are not going to get out alive."_

But Regulus, being too caught up in the moment of rage, merely grabbed Sirius's hand, and dug his nails into, narrowing his eyes into a cut so deep, Sirius could see their brother-bond crumbling and fading entirely within them. "I shall continue to work for the Dark Lord despite your inputs. And I shall continue about my ways. Even if it's the last thing I do."

With that, Regulus stormed off, and this altercation of theirs was the last Sirius ever saw his younger brother.

________

 **FROM THAT MOMENT FORWARD, REGULUS BEGAN TO WORK HARDER.** He pushed himself and fully devoted to being a true one of Voldemort's. Papers began to fill the desk in and out on the top of his desk, all about and containing info on the man he worked for. Something that once started out as a part-time interest, and done to appease his parents, turned into something more like an obsession.

The bags grew furiously darker underneath his eyes.

He wasn't as focused in class, nor was he as prepared during tests.

And sleep soon became something he never heard of.

Many of his nights had been spent laughing deliriously to, and at, himself up in his darkened room as he sat with his hands holding the other; the moonlight shining down on his back.

(But what for? He'd never known. He just laughed and laughed until tears sprung out and he was left staring at the bed sheets; before slumber had come to take him until the next day arrived. )

And it all got worse the moment Sirius ran off.

His mother, having burned his brother's face off the family portrait, would be found constantly screaming about the house with him in her words.

His father grew tired of this, and this all eventually led to his once perfect relationship with his parents to fall away almost completely.

And as things became so severe, at one point, Regulus considered leaving Voldemort's army just to displease his parents, and run away like Sirius had.

( He no longer had concerns of his status or purity, he'd just wanted to get away from all this. )

Many nights were spent on debates of his decision.

(Though, as the family's loyal house-elf, Kreacher, apparated home with his horrible body condition and with the story of how the Dark Lord had only used him to test out the defenses around his Horocrux of a locket, that had become the final say in his long-thought on his decision.

He would now work _against_  his previous master. )

________

 **' I'LL TELL YOU HOW RISKY LIFE IS. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET OUT ALIVE. '** His brother's words echoed in his mind, as he stared down at the water below him; his mouth becoming rapidly parched the moment after he'd taken several deep helpings of the potion inside the basin within the subterranean lake.

His heart began to increase, and the overwhelming of the sudden condition his body eventually caused him to wheeze, breathing becoming harder to do.

 _'_ _But I have to live ! '_

Regulus thought as he collapsed to the ground, panting heavily,

_'I have to live if i want this to work. '_

He had to do this. He had to avenge Kreacher, and protect his family from his master's wrath.

So with a shaky raise, he pulled himself up on his knees, "K-Kreacher, have you taken the l-locket yet? H...as it been replaced?" He heard the words come from his mouth, though, they sounded distant and foreign.

The house-elf look pitifully at his master, wanting to go over and help him as much as he possibly could, but knew he should not; knowing it would go against orders. He gave a slow nod, "Yes Master Regulus. Kreacher switched the lockets."

He nodded to no one in particular, movement around his growing slower, and even blurrier than it had been before. "Good..good..now--" He attempted to raise his head, but settled back with putting his hands back on the ground before him, his knees bent underneath him. "-Now I want you to leave."

_" B-but master-"_

His voice grew hard despite his current state of weakness, "Are you de..fying my orders, Kreacher?"

_Kreacher shook his head, his eyes widening, "N-No, sir, Kreacher would never. Kreacher just-'_

_'" Then leave. Now. Take the real locket with you and leave without me. And do not look back, that is an order. "_

_"Yes, sir."_ Kreacher slowly turned away, securing both hands around the locket. Resisting the urge to look back, he looked down, and with a sudden pop in the air; he was gone - apparated back to Grimmauld Palace.

Once Kreacher was gone, Regulus found himself tiring down by the second.

His eyesight worsened, the shaking increased, his wheezes echoed louder, and his practically felt the life began to drain out of him.

But despite that; he only needed one thing; water.

His was insanely dehydrated and despite his condition; he  _needed_  it.

Slowly, he crawled to the edge.

As he inched his hand out to the lake, just when he felt the cool of the lake water below him graze his fingertips, his arm was grabbed and he found himself underwater. At first, he floated in place, but as be became aware of his situation, he began to move about.

The grizzly Inferni soon began to surround him, causing more fear to flood about his veins.

They calmly grabbed his arms and legs, and began to move him in the opposite direction. Regulus thrashed violently, and kicked the water; air pools multiplying around his head. He tried to cry out, but only inhaled a strangle from the intake of air he'd received. He tried to shift his body, tried to make movement they'd send them steering him away, but they just continued to float him back.

( It took years for Regulus to believe it, but as his vision begin to darken, and the Inferni placed him down on an underwater rock, he finally realized it; The moment he took that mark, it was known. The Mark was not only an agreement to be a loyal follower of Lord Voldemort, but a death sentence. )

_' You are not going to get out alive. '_

**\- fin.**


End file.
